President Arif Alvi and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja Thursday agreed that the general elections will be held in the country on February 8, 2024.
The development came after a delegation of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) headed by CEC Raja and Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan met President Arif Alvi at the President’s Secretariat to discuss the poll date, a statement from the President office said.
“It was [then] unanimously decided that the election will be held on Thursday, February 8,” the statement added.
The meeting between the sides was on orders of the Supreme Court, which had instructed the election commission to consult with the president and inform the SC about the poll date tomorrow (Friday).
The ECP — in today’s Supreme Court hearing of petitions calling for timely polls across the country — had told the top court that polls would be held on February 11, but the SC asked the commission to consult with the president.
Following the consensus, AGP Awan and CEC Raja will inform the top court about the decision.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) earlier confirmed to the Supreme Court that the country’s general elections would take place on February 11, 2024. This information was disclosed during the court hearing on petitions advocating timely polls.ECP’s lawyer Sajeel Swati outlined the electoral schedule, emphasizing that delimitation would be finalized by November 30, with all preparations completed by January 29. Swati further highlighted the decision to hold elections on a Sunday, with February 11 selected as the date.
In response, Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa instructed the ECP to consult President Arif Alvi to finalize the date. The court emphasized its commitment to ensuring the election date remains unaltered.
The court adjourned the hearing directing the attorney general to facilitate the ECP’s meeting with the president. It anticipated a resolution after the meeting and requested a briefing on the outcome the following day.
The political uncertainty arose following the removal of the Imran Khan government in April 2022, leading to the dissolution of the National Assembly and regional assemblies for fresh elections. The ECP’s decision to delay polls was necessitated by the approval of the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023 by the Council of Common Interest (CCI).
Despite the provisional report on constituency delimitation released in September, multiple petitions were filed in the Supreme Court, urging adherence to the 90-day election timeline. Former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s tenure oversaw the filing of these petitions, though they were not immediately scheduled for a hearing.
